Systems and methods for avoiding missing television programming when changing between television channels

Abstract

A buffering and playback manager of a receiving device facilitates a user avoiding missing television programming on a television (TV) channel when the user is changes to another TV channel. When a user returns to a previously visited TV channel, the TV channel buffering and playback manager 100 is configured to continue the television programming from a point the TV program was at when the user had de-selected that TV channel. The TV programming of the previously visited TV channel starts or continues to be stored in a buffer when the receiving device de-selects that TV channel. Upon returning to that TV channel, the TV program data stored in the buffer is played on the TV channel instead of the live broadcast being played on that TV channel.

1 . A method in a television (TV) channel buffering and playback manager system, the method comprising:
 playing TV program content on a first TV channel by at least one computer processor that is in control of the system;   switching, by the at least one computer processor, to at least one TV channel different from the first TV channel in response to user input;   switching, by the at least one computer processor, back to the first TV channel in response to user input; and   in response to the switching back to the first TV channel, playing, by the at least one computer processor, the TV program content on the first TV channel from a point at which the TV program content being played on the first TV channel approximately was when the switching to the at least one different TV channel began.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the playing the TV program content on the first TV channel from the point at which the TV program content being played on the first TV channel was approximately when the switching to the at least one different TV channel began is additionally in response to receiving user input confirming a desire of the user to play the TV program content on the first TV channel from the point at which the TV program content being played on the first TV channel was when the switching to the at least one different TV channel began. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 switching, by the at least one computer processor, between a plurality of TV channels over a period of time in response to user input, wherein the switching between the plurality of TV channels includes periods of time spent at each of the plurality of TV channels; and 
 facilitating, by the at least one computer processor, the user avoiding missing programming during the switching between the plurality of TV channels at least by, each time the at least one computer processor returns to a TV channel of the plurality of TV channels during the switching between the plurality of TV channels, playing, by the at least one computer processor, TV program content that was being played on the TV channel of the plurality of TV channels starting from a point at which the TV program content being played on the TV channel of the plurality of TV channels approximately was when the at least one processor last switched away from the TV channel of the plurality of TV channels. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the plurality of TV channels is a group of most recently visited channels. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the facilitating the user avoiding missing programming further includes excluding from the group of most recently visited TV channels, TV channels that are visited for less than a minimum threshold amount of time. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the facilitating the user avoiding missing programming further includes:
 recording TV program content of one or more of the plurality of TV channels on a secondary storage when available buffer memory for the one or more of the plurality of TV channels reaches a minimum threshold or based on a TV channel priority setting of the plurality of TV channels; 
 switching back to the one or more of the plurality of TV channels; 
 accessing the TV program content stored on the secondary storage for playback when the at least one processor switches back to the one or more of the plurality of TV channels; and 
 using the accessed TV program content stored on the secondary storage to continue playing TV program content that was being played on the one or more TV channels starting from a point at which the TV program content being played on the one or more TV channels approximately was when the at least one processor last switched away from the one or more TV channels. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the facilitating the user avoiding missing TV programming further includes dynamically selecting a size of the group of most recently visited TV channels based on an available buffer memory size to store TV program content of the group of most recently visited TV channels. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the facilitating, by the at least one computer processor, the user avoiding missing TV programming further includes:
 allocating, by the at least one computer processor, buffer memory to the plurality of TV channels to store TV program content being played on each of the plurality of TV channels during the switching between the plurality of TV channels; 
 storing, by the at least one computer processor, TV program content being played on each of the plurality of TV channels during the switching between the plurality of TV channels in the allocated buffer memory; 
 upon revisiting any one of the plurality of TV channels during the switching between the plurality of TV channels, automatically outputting for presentation on a presentation device, using the TV program content stored in the allocated buffer memory, TV program content on the revisited TV channel that would have been output for presentation on the presentation device had the at least one processor not switched to another TV channel. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the allocating includes:
 for each TV channel of the plurality of TV channels, allocating buffer memory to the TV channel when the at least one processor first visits the TV channel during the switching between the plurality of TV channels. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the allocating includes:
 allocating the buffer memory to the plurality of TV channels based on one or more of: an available amount of the buffer memory; a size of the group of most recently visited TV channels; which TV channels of the plurality of TV channels are visited for less than a minimum threshold amount of time; preferences indicated by user input; stored priorities between particular TV channels in the plurality of TV channels; a type of TV program content being broadcast on the plurality of TV channels; and an amount of time for which a TV channel of the plurality of TV channels is currently being visited. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 in conjunction with the switching back to the first TV channel, prompting the user, by the at least one processor, regarding whether the user desires the system to start playing TV program content currently being broadcast on the first TV channel or to automatically continue to play the TV program content on the first TV channel from the point at which the TV program content being played on the first TV channel was when the switching to the at least one different TV channel began; and 
 based on a corresponding response received after the prompting, automatically continuing to play, by the at least one processor, the TV program content on the first TV channel from the point at which the TV program content being played on the first TV channel approximately was when the switching to the at least one different TV channel began. 
 
     
     
         12 . A television (TV) channel buffering and playback manager comprising:
 at least one computer processor; and   a memory coupled to the at least one computer processor, wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to:
 switch between presentation of a plurality of TV channels over a period of time in response to input from a user, wherein the switching between presentation of the plurality of TV channels includes periods of time spent at each of the plurality of TV channels; and 
 facilitate the user avoiding missing programming during the switching between the presentation of the plurality of TV channels at least by at least being configured to buffer TV programming at least by being configured to record points at which the TV programming TV program content being played on the TV channel is at in response to the input from the user causing the switching between presentation of a plurality of TV channels. 
   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to facilitate the user avoiding missing TV programming by being configured to, each time the at least one computer processor returns to presenting a TV channel of the plurality of TV channels during the switching between the presentation of the plurality of TV channels, continue to play, by the at least one computer processor, TV program content that was being played on the TV channel of the plurality of TV channels starting from a point at which the TV program content being played on the TV channel of the plurality of TV channels approximately was when the at least one processor last switched away from presenting the TV channel of the plurality of TV channels plurality of TV channels is a group of most recently visited TV channels. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to facilitate the user avoiding missing television programming by at least being further configured to exclude from the group of most recently visited TV channels, TV channels that are visited for less than a minimum threshold amount of time. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to facilitate the user avoiding missing television programming by at least being further configured to:
 record TV program content of one or more of the plurality of TV channels on a secondary storage when available buffer memory for the one or more of the plurality of TV channels reaches a minimum threshold or based on a TV channel priority setting of the plurality of TV channels; 
 switch back to presentation of the one or more of the plurality of TV channels; 
 access the TV program content stored on the secondary storage for playback when the at least one processor switches back to presentation of the one or more of the plurality of TV channels; and 
 use the accessed TV program content stored on the secondary storage to continue playing TV program content that was being played on the one or more TV channels starting from a point at which the TV program content being played on the one or more TV channels approximately was when the at least one processor last switched away from presentation of the one or more TV channels. 
 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to facilitate the user avoiding missing television programming by at least being further configured to dynamically select a size of the group of most recently visited TV channels based on an available buffer memory size to store TV program content of the group of most recently visited TV channels. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to facilitate the user avoiding missing television programming by at least being further configured to:
 allocate buffer memory to the plurality of TV channels to store TV program content being played on each of the plurality of TV channels during the switching between presentation of the plurality of TV channels; 
 store TV program content being played on each of the plurality of TV channels during the switching between presentation of the plurality of TV channels in the allocated buffer memory; and 
 upon revisiting any one of the plurality of TV channels during the switching between presentation of the plurality of TV channels, automatically output for presentation on a presentation device, using the TV program content stored in the allocated buffer memory, TV program content on the revisited TV channel that would have been output for presentation on the presentation device had the at least one processor not switched to presentation of another TV channel. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to allocate the buffer memory by at least being configured to:
 for each TV channel of the plurality of TV channels, allocate buffer memory to the TV channel when the at least one processor first visits the TV channel during the switching between the presentation of plurality of TV channels. 
 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one computer processor, cause at least one computer processor to:
 detect when a user tunes from a first television (TV) channel to a second TV channel;   in response to the detecting when the user tunes to the second TV channel, record a reference associated with a point within buffered or stored TV program content of the first TV channel corresponding to a point that content being played on the first TV channel is approximately at when the user tuned to the second TV channel;   detect when the user tunes back to the first TV channel; and   start to play, based on the recorded reference and on the detecting when the user tunes back to the first TV channel, the buffered TV program content of the first TV channel from the point that the content being played on the first TV channel was approximately at when the user tuned to the second TV channel.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19  wherein the reference is one or more of: a time reference, a time code, and an index reference. 
     
     
         21 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19  wherein the buffered or stored TV program content of the first TV channel is stored in non-volatile storage on a storage device located geographically remote from a presentation device on which the playing of the buffered or stored TV program content of the first TV channel occurs.